Today I was asking for a scripture and was lead to Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. There is a lot of good in this verse. I was drawn to accepted in the Beloved. The word Beloved is from the Greek: agapao. I then cross referenced this to Matthew 3:17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The word beloved here is the Greek: agapetos. And of course I think of agape that is in both of these words.
Agape is a noun that means love as a state, concept, or quality. It describes the actual substance or identity of unconditional, high-regard, or sacrificial care. An example is God is love. There is no higher form of love. Agape is from God.
Agapao is a verb meaning: To love actively. It is the dynamic action, practice, or choice of showing that high regard and commitment toward someone or something.
Agapetos is an adjective meaning: Beloved, dear, or highly esteemed. It describes the recipient of that love- the agapeo is directed at. An example is this is my beloved son.
If we look back at Ephesians 1:6 the Beloved, we see that God has not only accepted us but he agapaos us! And in Matthew 3:17 we see that like His Son, we are agapetos to Him!
There is no higher form of acceptance or love. We are both the object of His love and the recipient of it. I don’t know about you, but I needed this today! If we are in Christ we are the Beloved and we are learning to love one another in this agape love! May we accept the love of the Father more fully today, then we can mature into all that He created us to be!
Butterfly Vuela 